The Warbler

I picked up The Warbler by Sarah Beth Durst because her book Spellshop was the best feel good novel I've read in a long time. Her writing still delights while writing about a woman grappling with the grief. There is something about the writers who dive into the realm of grief that makes for powerful prose. Grieving forces people to take a slower pace, which is likely why it breeds evocative language. This may likely be the reason I felt the Warbler was more mature than the Spellshop.

Durst's other strength is in atmospheric stories. While I loved it for the cozy small town bookshop and eerie magic, there was a point where it felt like the plot pace was too slow. I love the vibes that Durst has in this story but i felt like it was too easy to put the book down somewhere around the midway point. However it proved to be worth picking the book up again with the surprising and enchanting ending.